Top of the World
by Rebellion Author
Summary: songfic. Draco was told to marry Hermione. He earns her trust, her love and marries her. Still filled with Malfoy and Pureblood pride he become abusive, later he regrets all that he has done to Hermione. Is it to late to reverse his mistakes?


_I absolutely love this song, and this idea sort of came to mind. Some of it, to wonder why I have written the story part of it like I did, you have to actually hear the song to understand those parts (just the -hopefully- intensity of it). And I do realize that Hermione is extremely OOC but still, I needed her to be like that._

_Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing of this. The characters belong to JK Rowling, and the song lyrics (and song itself) belong to the Dixie Chicks!_

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**Top of the World**

Draco Malfoy had done the unthinkable. In his eyes at least. He had done, of course, the Dark Lords bidding. He had been told to get Hermione Granger; the brains behind the Golden Trio, the Gryffindor Princess; to trust him. To love him. To marry him. And he did just that, earning her trust first and then slowly got her to love him. He tried to convinced himself that he had no feelings for her; she was only a Mudblood after all. But he wasn't fooling himself, he was falling for her.

The marriage was as all Malfoy marriages had always been. The bride dressed in a very traditional white dress, the groom standing at the end not supposed to be caring about the woman who was about to become his wife. Hermione had looked like an angel, and he stole that away from her.

Still poisoned by his father's beliefs and the Dark Lords orders, he became a cold demanding abusive husband. At first Hermione fought against it, but it was no use, the law of marriage in the wizarding world was on Draco's side. She wanted to divorce him, but again the law stopped her. So eventually she just gave up, and just submitted to Draco's will and orders. She became a shell of who she used to be. Most people never did notice the change in Hermione, but Draco did. She never fought back anymore, she never laughed, or giggled except when their children where around, then it was a hallow laugh. Her movements were slightly slower, and she became deathly pale.

_I wished I was smarter_

"Why? Why did I have to be so stupid? I didn't have to listen to my father, or the Dark Lord. I was just a puppet for them! And look at what I have done," he thought as he sat in his office looking through the spying glass at the timid form of his wife, trying to get their toddler son to eat.

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I wished I was stronger_

"I never could face death, or any other curse. That's all they had to do was threaten to use the curses, and I willingly stole the spirit of the most precious person on earth. I shouldn't be such a weakling; I'm a Malfoy after all! Malfoy's aren't supposed to be weak!" He tossed the glass he was drinking from on the wall, his latest thought making his blood run cold.

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I wished I loved Jesus  
The way my wife does_

She had found that Bible one day when she were shopping. She had managed to hid it from him for weeks, at that time she had already sworn herself of magic, not that she was permitted to use any anyway. He had been furious when he found out, and had beaten her with books, his fists, belts and curses. He was furious with himself for doing this to her, furious with her for hiding it from him, and furious with his father for turning him into a monster. He took it all out on her, but she refused to get rid of the book. He eventually gave in and let her have it, but their was, of course, condition's that he had put up for it.

_I wish it had been easier  
Instead of any longer_

He knew he could have easily turned his back on his fathers' teachings. Teachings that the wives were possessions of the husband to obey their every command; teachings that taught him to basically kill his wife. He could have easily turned his back on it, but he didn't, and turning back now was not an option.

_I wished I could have stood where you would have been proud_

"My Hermione," he thought waving his wand to clear up the mess, "why can't you just be happy? This is for you!" She used to always be happy. On the day he proposed to her, her eyes sparkled with so much that, it dulled the stars that were out for them. On the day they married, her smile was so radiant, so joyful, so, so loving. What had he done to her?

_But that won't happen now  
That won't happen now_

He had tried on so many occasions to be a good husband to her. The kind she deserved, the kind she fell in love with. On those occasions, her smile would return, and she became the woman he knew, but he could never keep it that way. He always became violent again, whipping the smile he had tried so hard to peace onto her face. Every time he tried to be a good husband and failed her smile would be harder and harder to win back.

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There's a whole lot of singing that's never gonna be heard_

At balls and parties where they were required to be together and act civil, she would smile, but it wasn't a real one. Their was no feeling behind it. The other wives either didn't notice her empty smile or said nothing about it. Lots of them shared the smile as his beloved wife, but their husbands didn't share his heartache.

_Disappearing everyday without so much as a word somehow_

Every time he tried to win back her smile, he failed, and the smile got farther and farther away. He wondered if their would be a point when he wouldn't be able to find that smile at all.

_Think I broke the wings off that little song bird  
She's never gonna fly to the top of the world right now_

He had promised her the moon, the world, and all the oceans when he was wooing her into marring him. Not that he needed to. To her all she needed was books about the moon world and oceans to the own them. He had been so cruel as to even take them away from her.

_Top of the world _

I don't have to answer any of these questions

She had asked him, in the beginning, time and time again why he was doing what he was doing to her. He had refused to answer her; he only slapped her across the mouth for talking back. For talking period. It wasn't proper for a wife to question her husband; this too he had been taught.

_Don't have no God to teach me no lessons_

His father had died a year ago, of 'old age.' Draco knew better, his father was poisoned, his father poisoned himself, as he had poisoned Draco all those years into believing those lies about how to treat wives and women and muggles and Mudbloods. His father couldn't control his every move now.

_I come home in the evening  
Sit in my chair_

Every evening, he'd come home from any one of the fifty companies he had either inherited or started, give her a kiss on the cheek, hug his son and daughter and go to his office. He only came out to eat, when it was time for bed, when she did something that displeased him; and it didn't have to be big; when he was frustrated and needed to take it out on something; usually his wife; or if he decided to grace his children with his presence.

_One night they called me for supper  
But I never got up  
I stayed right there in my chair_

She had made him a dinner, as he requested she do every year on their anniversary. But work had been terrible that day; one of his companies had crashed; she had forgotten to tidy up his study, and his children where cranky; something else his father taught him to not tolerate. So he had decided to make the effort she had put into their anniversary and the party that would be happening later, useless. He refused to leave his office when she meekly knocked to the door to tell him his dinner was ready. He heard her tears as he heard her footsteps walk away from his door, again he felt a twang in his heart, knowing he had once again caused her tears.

_There's a whole lot of singing that's never gonna be heard_

He appeared at that party that night, only because it was expected. And he wanted to make sure she wasn't messing anything up. She was, as always, being a gracious hostess, doing everything that was expected with a smile on her face. That vacant smile he had given her.

_Disappearing everyday without so much as a word somehow_

Out of pity, but more of the fact that it was expected, he went up behind her and gave her a hug. She looked up at him, shocked. He could see the fear in her eyes as hers met his. He smiled warmly at her, and she smiled back, a distant smile vacant expressionless smile. It broke his heart to see it; not that he could show that it did. After they had been married for a year and she had started to give up hope, and being more submissive all it took to get a warm caring smile out of her was a smile from him. What had he done? Even his smile couldn't bring a smile to her face.

_Think I broke the wings off that little song bird  
She's never gonna fly to the top of the world right now_

Their daughter, Cassie came up to them to announce that it was time for her and Corbin, their son, to go to bed. He gave his daughter a nod and a pat on the head before sending her off. He smiled once more at his Hermione before giving her permission to put the kids to bed. She took both their sleepy children by the hands and led them out of the room, as they left he was sure he saw a ghost of her smile appearing on her face, but not enough of it to classify as a smile.

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I wished I'd a known you_

_Wished I'd a shown you_

He found himself wishing, once again, that he hadn't been such a jerk to her back when they were still in school. When he could still enjoy the radiant glow of her smile. But his mind was drowning in the poison then, as much as it was now. Only now he was trying to fight it, without success, as only looking at her could tell her that.

_All of the things I was on the inside_

Maybe if he hadn't been such a jerk, she would have known what was going in inside him, as she does now. If she knew ahead of time she could have saved herself from this grief he was causing her. Maybe she could have helped him overcome his fathers poison, and their by in saving herself. "She should have seen it regardless!" Draco thought angrily to himself, "She is good at reading people after all! She should have seen how I really was and avoided me! Then she wouldn't have been so hurt now!" And once again, all pity he felt for his wife was gone. And once again, he blamed all her pain on her, not him.

_I'd pretend to be sleeping  
When you come in in the morning_

He always demanded that she wake up before him. He considered her to be lazy if she slept later them him. Even in the ninth month of her pregnancies he insisted upon that. Only then, she only had to be awake and out of bed, she could be sitting in a rocking chair; to help the baby; and not dressed as long as she was awake. The rest of the time, he demanded she be dressed and working by the time he woke up.

_To whisper good-bye  
Go to work in the rain_

She was also to have breakfast started by the time he was up too. It was the only meal the house elves were not allowed to cook. To get to the kitchen she had to go outside and to the kitchen room; built especially with fireproof walls. It was kept away from the house so it would not damper the appearance of such a wonderful mansion. Some Great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather of his had charmed the walk way from the mansion to the kitchen so that it was always raining and stormy as the wives went to cook the meals.

_I don't know why  
Don't know why_

He tried to shake the thoughts from his head. He was trying to make it up to her, not beat her into the ground some more. He smiled at her, as she re-entered the room, looking every bit the wife of a rich husband. She gave him her vacant smile and walked away from him to the food table to double check, again, that everything was where it needed to be, and nothing was the way he didn't like it. He called her over with a bit more harshness in his voice then was necessary. She looked over at him with such hurt filled eyes, and slowly started over.

_'Cause everyone's singing  
We just wanna be heard_

She stopped halfway over toward him. She did something she had never done in their fifteen years of marriage, she turned around and pushed over a chair. He scowled, and started toward her. She took no notice, she kept knocking over chairs, plates off of tables, and finally stopped at the bar, and looking directly at him she swung her arm, knocking off all the bottles and glasses. She winced when she heard the sound of them hitting the floor. He was sure his look was murderous as he quickened his pace to get over to her. He would have to teach her a lesson about respect, again.

_Disappearing everyday without so much as a word somehow_

Before he was able to reach her, she bent down and started to pick up the peaces of glass. He could see the tears running down her face from her beautiful sad brown eyes. His heart twanged again, but this time he ignored it. He stood beside her as she continued to pick up the glass fragments, the guests in the room forgotten. He could hear her sobs, and see her shake. But it wasn't until he saw the blood did he relies what she was really doing. "You idiot!" his mind screamed, "You're killing her! You're killing her!"

_Wanna grab a hold of that little song bird  
Take her for a ride to the top of the world right now_

He instantly dropped to his knees beside her and hugged her, she looked at him in shock and fear. The fear never fled her eyes. Tears still poured down her face, just as the blood poured from her hands, and arms. He too was crying, and for once it didn't matter to him. He tried desperately to find his wand to heal her cuts, but he couldn't find it. He cursed loudly when he remembered he had left it in his office. He knew, by looking at the cuts, that they weren't deep. But left unattended his beautiful wife would bleed to death. He would have killed her. He looked around, he didn't see a single guest in the room. He laid his sobbing and bleeding wife to floor as he ran from the room to his study.

_To the top of the world_

He had to find it.

_To the top of the world_

Where was it?

_To the top of the world_

Where did he put it?

_To the top of the world_

It had to be some place!

_To the top of the world_

Their it was!

_To the top of the world_

He reached for the wand, his fingers wrapping around it. He turned and ran from the room.

_To the top of the world_

"Draco?" she asked as he re-entered the room. Their was more blood around her, but her tears had stopped. "I'm here," he said. She looked at him with sorrow filled eyes, "I'm sorry Draco." He didn't know what to say, so he quickly waved his wand over her arms saying all the healing spells he knew, and one by one the cuts closed themselves, but the one on her wrist; he wasn't sure if that one was accidental or not; was taking forever to close. "Forgive me Draco? I am sorry." "It's ok," he said, "it's ok." Her eyes closed and her breathing started to slow, "No!" he cried out, she was dieing! He wasn't going to let her! He started saying the healing spells again and again until the cut on her wrist had closed off with only a scar to show it had ever been their.

_To the top of the world_

"No," he said, hugging her shoulders, "no." He had done it. He had killed her with his harshness. He tried to stand up, tears in his eyes, but his legs; for the first time ever; failed him, and her fell back down. "Why?" he whispered and closed his eyes. His father would be horrified at this display of strong emotions, but his father could rot in hell. "Draco?" a small weak voice said. His eyes flew open, her eyes were still closed and he cursed himself for hearing things. But then, her eyes fluttered a bit, and closed. Fluttered a bit, and closed. They did this a couple more times, each time a more and more hopeful expression came across his face, until finally she opened her eyes. At first her eyes looked around as if trying to figure out where she was, and then they met with his. At first she looked scared, but after seeing no anger in his eyes she smiled. The warm loving kind gentle smile that he had missed for so long, and almost lost completely.

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_In case some people are confused, this is written in Draco's POV but in third person (it seamed to fit better that way) and I didn't use their names much, because I felt that if I did it would take away from how the rest of the story went (if you disagree please say so). I really hope you liked it. I love the Dixie Chicks, and this song. If you haven't heard this song, you should consider listening to it, and watching the video, the video (while being a little confusing) is great._

_Oh and one little note to anyone who would like to do something like that, don't try to write one to a really emotional song, while your emotional yourself, it's really really really really really hard to do (especially if your listening to the song as your writing)._

_Happy reading and writing people._

_Please review._

_Rebellion Author._


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